Dr Dale Otten

Dr. Dale Otten is an industrially-focused applied optical physicist, physical chemist, and engineer with over 20 years of experience working with lasers, optics and materials mainly for photonics-based sensing and laser technologies.    He currently works as a research fellow in the Laser Physics and Photonics Devices Laboratory focusing on applications development across a number of photonics and spectroscopic projects.  As part of his passion to drive research into effective commercial outcomes he has worked with industry-focused projects within the ARC IDEAL Research Hub and the Premier's Research Innovation Fund (PRIF) sponsored consortium for Unlocking Complex Resources through Lean Processing.  He currently is developing mineraturized laser technologies using propriatary ZBLAN chip laser technology, and establishing a new in-house ultrafast laser inscribed precision FBG fabrication technique in partnership with the Australian Defence Science and Technology Group sponsord by their Next Generation Technologies Fund.

Dale earned his Bachelors of Science with Honours in Chemistry at the University of Adelaide in 2002.  After an interlude as the resident physical chemist with a small medical instrument manufacturer in the U.S.A., Dale earned his Doctorate of Philosophy in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.  At UC Berkeley Dale was responsible for curriculum delivery duties for seven semesters covering first year through graduate level Chemistry subjects for majors and non-majors.

Passionate building things for the future and helping others grow to succeed, and in turn helping to grow himself, Dale's door is always open to discuss scientific concepts both difficult and basic.  He loves to see students', colleagues' and friends' understanding flourish as a result of sharing his time and experience, and relishest the opportunity to describe the physics of the world we live in new ways so that anyone might appreciate them.

As a long time volunteer as a senior leader in the South Australian State Emergency Service he also contributes to the wellbeing of his community directly, and works hard to share his knowledge and experience with his team to build a more resilient organization.  He directly executes his vision to help transform Adelaide's photonics research strengths into commercially sustainable outcomes as the Managing Director of the startup laser manufacturer Red Chip Photonics and through participation in the photonics startup community in Adelaide.  In previous roles has also been resposible for advanced laser business development throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy University of California

• Bachelor of Science The University of Adelaide